An inventory of goods is frequently stored in a storage area. The distribution of the goods is monitored and controlled by an inventory worker. When an order is placed for the goods, a pick list is produced and the inventory worker obtains the required quantities of each of product on the pick list. The ordered goods can then be placed in a temporary storage area until the order is picked up. Because many orders can be placed at the same time, the filled orders must also be identified and organized so they can be easily located and given to the proper recipient. When the order is picked up, order information or identification information is given to the inventory worker who locates the filled order and gives the order to the recipient.
When the goods are controlled, it may be necessary to store the goods in a secure area. For example, a pharmacy may store many different drugs in an area that is only accessible to authorized employees such as pharmacists. A prescription from a doctor may be required to place and fill the order for these drugs. When an order is placed, a pharmacist will place the specified quantity of drugs into a container and then place the container in a storage area with the name of the patient marked on the container. When the patient picks up the prescription drugs, the pharmacist will compare the patient's identification with the patient's name on the prescription before delivering the medication(s) to the patient.
Various systems have been developed to assist users in locating the ordered goods stored in the inventory area. Goods can be stored in an alpha numeric order so that the user can quickly identify the location of a product by its name or number. For example, library books are typically stored by an associated code that is marked on the edge of the book.
A problem with existing systems is that they are inefficient since the user must manually locate the products in the inventory area which are typically stored in a numeric or alphabetical order. There is also a problem of locating the filled orders that have been placed in the temporary storage area. Since these tasks are performed manually, the location of goods and filled orders can require sorting through many items before the correct goods and filled orders can be located. It can be very difficult to pick out goods and filled orders with 100% accuracy. What is needed is a system that allows users to more easily locate goods in an inventory storage area or find filled orders within a temporary storage area.